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In May and June temperatures drop significantly, the bushland dries up and colours start turning from green to light brown. By July and August, winter has truly arrived, skies have cleared to a beautiful blue, large numbers of storks are flying in to breed, and elephants come down to the river in their herds. In the Savuti area, grasslands are getting bare and waterholes become a matter of survival, as other water sources are drying up fast.
Savuti is a very rich part of the Chobe National Park providing both enough food and enough water to sustain significant numbers of wildlife. Cool winter temperatures allow for predator movement throughout the day. Cheetah are especially active around the large open pans that are by this time devoid of much vegetation, unlike the Chobe riverfront. One
of my favourite things to see in Savuti is the male Kori Bustard display within its territory to attract females. Watching the heaviest flying bird puff up to its full size is quite an astonishing spectacle especially when paired with his unusual song!
September and October bring us to the hottest and harshest time of the year. The Chobe National Park starts resembling a desert, with sparse vegetation, dry bushland, and a hazy atmosphere caused by dust and bush fires. If you can bear these extreme conditions, however, you will be rewarded. The scarcity of water and food draws animals to the Chobe River front, trying to survive off the scant grass left on the floodplains, and large breeding herds of elephant and buffalo cross the river in the search of food.
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